Kurth Salome, Riedner Brady A, Dean Douglas C, O'Muircheartaigh Jonathan, Huber Reto, Jenni Oskar G, Deoni Sean C L, LeBourgeois Monique K
Division of Pulmonology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Clinical Research Priority Program Sleep and Health, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Sleep. 2017 Sep 1;40(9). doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsx121.
Slow oscillations, a defining characteristic of the nonrapid eye movement sleep electroencephalogram (EEG), proliferate across the scalp in highly reproducible patterns. In adults, the propagation of slow oscillations is a recognized fingerprint of brain connectivity and excitability. In this study, we (1) describe for the first time maturational features of sleep slow oscillation propagation in children (n = 23; 2-13 years) using high-density (hd) EEG and (2) examine associations between sleep slow oscillatory propagation characteristics (ie, distance, traveling speed, cortical involvement) and white matter myelin microstructure as measured with multicomponent Driven Equilibrium Single Pulse Observation of T1 and T2-magnetic resonance imaging (mcDESPOT-MRI). Results showed that with increasing age, slow oscillations propagated across longer distances (average growth of 0.2 cm per year; R(21) = 0.50, p < .05), while traveling speed and cortical involvement (ie, slow oscillation expanse) remained unchanged across childhood. Cortical involvement (R(20) = 0.44) and slow oscillation speed (R(20) = -0.47; both p < .05, corrected for age) were associated with myelin content in the superior longitudinal fascicle, the largest anterior-posterior, intrahemispheric white matter connectivity tract. Furthermore, slow oscillation distance was moderately associated with whole-brain (R(21) = 0.46, p < .05) and interhemispheric myelin content, the latter represented by callosal myelin water fraction (R(21) = 0.54, p < .01, uncorrected). Thus, we demonstrate age-related changes in slow oscillation propagation distance, as well as regional associations between brain activity during sleep and the anatomical connectivity of white matter microstructure. Our findings make an important contribution to knowledge of the brain connectome using a noninvasive and novel analytic approach. These data also have implications for understanding the emergence of neurodevelopmental disorders and the role of sleep in brain maturation trajectories.
慢波振荡是非快速眼动睡眠脑电图（EEG）的一个决定性特征，它以高度可重复的模式在头皮上扩散。在成年人中，慢波振荡的传播是大脑连通性和兴奋性的一个公认标志。在本研究中，我们（1）首次使用高密度（hd）脑电图描述了儿童（n = 23；2 - 13岁）睡眠慢波振荡传播的成熟特征，并且（2）研究了睡眠慢波振荡传播特征（即距离、传播速度、皮质参与度）与通过多组分驱动平衡单脉冲观察T1和T2磁共振成像（mcDESPOT - MRI）测量的白质髓鞘微观结构之间的关联。结果显示，随着年龄增长，慢波振荡传播的距离更长（平均每年增长0.2厘米；R(21) = 0.50，p <.05），而传播速度和皮质参与度（即慢波振荡范围）在整个儿童期保持不变。皮质参与度（R(20) = 0.44）和慢波振荡速度（R(20) = -0.47；两者p <.05，经年龄校正）与上纵束中的髓鞘含量相关，上纵束是最大的前后半球内白质连通束。此外，慢波振荡距离与全脑（R(21) = 0.46，p <.05）和半球间髓鞘含量中度相关，后者由胼胝体髓鞘水分数表示（R(21) = 0.54，p <.01，未校正）。因此，我们证明了慢波振荡传播距离与年龄相关的变化，以及睡眠期间大脑活动与白质微观结构的解剖连通性之间的区域关联。我们的发现通过一种非侵入性的新颖分析方法，为大脑连接组的知识做出了重要贡献。这些数据对于理解神经发育障碍的出现以及睡眠在大脑成熟轨迹中的作用也具有启示意义。
